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Showing posts with label Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arts. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, May 9, 2008
Score This!!!
The United States is a score crazy culture. If you can't separate the winners from the losers, why do it? NCLB is a natural extension of this underlying sociological need to keep score.
Before WE condemn THEY for forcing US to give tests to THEM...WE should take a good long look in the mirror. We may be teachers during the day but in the evening, we become raving lunatics shouting at coaches, referees, and our children as they compete on various athletic fields.
Last night provided a welcome reprieve from The Great American Sorting Machine. It came in the form of a middle school chorus concert. The kids danced and sang their hearts out. There were no booing fans or yelling coaches. My spirit was lifted.
The music teacher gave a sincere, impassioned speech to the assembled audience including school administrators about the need to make time for the arts. I could not agree more. The students expressed their heartfelt gratitude for this teacher who had confidence in them, cared about them, and helped them be their best.
My 16 yr. old son, who inexplicably wanted to attend his little sisters' performance, brought the message of the evening into focus for me. He wasn't there to see his sister. My son had come along to see his Jr. High music teacher. The one who inspired him to play the drums and return to the Piano that his father had forced him to play as a child.
Despite the absence of a scoreboard, it was clear who the winners were last night.
I hope it is equally clear to anyone reading this who the losers will be if we continue to marginalize art and music classes.
Before WE condemn THEY for forcing US to give tests to THEM...WE should take a good long look in the mirror. We may be teachers during the day but in the evening, we become raving lunatics shouting at coaches, referees, and our children as they compete on various athletic fields.
Last night provided a welcome reprieve from The Great American Sorting Machine. It came in the form of a middle school chorus concert. The kids danced and sang their hearts out. There were no booing fans or yelling coaches. My spirit was lifted.
The music teacher gave a sincere, impassioned speech to the assembled audience including school administrators about the need to make time for the arts. I could not agree more. The students expressed their heartfelt gratitude for this teacher who had confidence in them, cared about them, and helped them be their best.
My 16 yr. old son, who inexplicably wanted to attend his little sisters' performance, brought the message of the evening into focus for me. He wasn't there to see his sister. My son had come along to see his Jr. High music teacher. The one who inspired him to play the drums and return to the Piano that his father had forced him to play as a child.
Despite the absence of a scoreboard, it was clear who the winners were last night.
I hope it is equally clear to anyone reading this who the losers will be if we continue to marginalize art and music classes.
Friday, March 14, 2008
March Madness
We are nearing the middle of March and for educators, the Madness has begun. School districts all over the country have put teaching on hold, unless of course that teaching involves material worthy of our standardized tests.
So who decided what is worthy?
Below are the 5 activities suggested by Herbert Spencer as "Worthy" to be included in the curriculum:
1. those activities which directly minister to self-preservation;
2. those activities which, by securing the necessaries of life, indirectly minister to self preservation;
3. those activities which have for their end the rearing and discipline of offspring;
4. those activities which are involved in the maintenance of proper social and political relations;
5. those miscellaneous activities which fill up the leisure part of life, devoted to the gratification of tastes and feelings.
For those you not familiar with Herbie...he made this prescription in 1859!
The Skinny ~ Science & Math wins...Arts & Humanities lose...
Not much has changed. The alarm bells are ringing loudly sounding America's failure to produce the next generation of Scientists and Engineers...Great American's like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who...who...dropped out of college?
Like it or not, America is not now, nor should we aspire to become the cradle of engineering. What American's have done and hopefully will continue to do better than anyone else on the planet is foster innovation and creative thought.
According to Yong Zhao from last Februarys' AASA conference, pushing for high math and science scores will not help the United States remain a global economic leader; it will only "discriminate against other talents. … Testing restrains the definition of knowledge".
"Right now, the U.S. need for foreign-language speakers outweighs the need for engineers."
Zhao concluded by saying that "we need to become innovators in a digital world," a goal that can be achieved only through curiosity, risk, and creativity.
Click here to link to Yong Zhao's full comments.
So back to the original question: What is Worthy?
Calling Elliot Eisner, school administrators, teachers, parents, students...Don't let the "Art" of education be lost.
So who decided what is worthy?
Below are the 5 activities suggested by Herbert Spencer as "Worthy" to be included in the curriculum:
1. those activities which directly minister to self-preservation;
2. those activities which, by securing the necessaries of life, indirectly minister to self preservation;
3. those activities which have for their end the rearing and discipline of offspring;
4. those activities which are involved in the maintenance of proper social and political relations;
5. those miscellaneous activities which fill up the leisure part of life, devoted to the gratification of tastes and feelings.
For those you not familiar with Herbie...he made this prescription in 1859!
The Skinny ~ Science & Math wins...Arts & Humanities lose...
Not much has changed. The alarm bells are ringing loudly sounding America's failure to produce the next generation of Scientists and Engineers...Great American's like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who...who...dropped out of college?
Like it or not, America is not now, nor should we aspire to become the cradle of engineering. What American's have done and hopefully will continue to do better than anyone else on the planet is foster innovation and creative thought.
According to Yong Zhao from last Februarys' AASA conference, pushing for high math and science scores will not help the United States remain a global economic leader; it will only "discriminate against other talents. … Testing restrains the definition of knowledge".
"Right now, the U.S. need for foreign-language speakers outweighs the need for engineers."
Zhao concluded by saying that "we need to become innovators in a digital world," a goal that can be achieved only through curiosity, risk, and creativity.
Click here to link to Yong Zhao's full comments.
So back to the original question: What is Worthy?
Calling Elliot Eisner, school administrators, teachers, parents, students...Don't let the "Art" of education be lost.
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